The Royal Treatment

Why Kã‘anapali is the perfect blend of challenge and chill

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

In late October, the University of Oklahoma won its fourth straight Kã‘anapali Classic (and sixth since the tournament began in 2014) on the island of Maui, finishing with a record score of 789, -63. Ryder Cowan, a junior, won the individual title with a 54-hole total of 193, -20.

“We played difficult courses this fall where our guys couldn’t get birdies to drop,” said Ryan Hybl, Oklahoma’s coach. “Traveling to Hawai‘i provided a much-needed mental reset.”

OU and Cowan’s incredible scoring say a lot about where the college game is at, and also the Royal Ka’anapali Course that was designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1962. The Sooners are currently ranked the 20th best college team in the nation. For them to go so low shows how good today’s Division 1 college players are and suggests the Royal is not going to beat you up with narrow fairways, hostile rough and rock-hard, glassy greens. 

Hybl’s post-victory quote also says plenty about coming to Hawaii to play golf after a frustrating period. If you’re already having a hard time dealing with the gray skies and cold rain, can you imagine the mental reset a few days at Ka’anapali might provide?

The thought of traveling to Maui and its northwest coast at this time of year fills one with dreamy, happy thoughts, and a few nights’ stay at the Outrigger Ka’anapali Resort, situated perfectly between the golf course and Ka’anapali Beach/Black Rock Beach Cove, would surely be the perfect tonic for anyone feeling the winter blues.

Outrigger supports the Ka’anapali Classic and supports a number of University of Hawaii athletics programs. It was founded by architect Roy Kelley and opened its first property — the Outrigger Waikiki On The Beach (now the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort) — in 1967. In 2016, an affiliate of KSL Capital Partners acquired the company, whose portfolio now includes 38 hotels and condominium/vacation resort properties which it either owns or manages. 

A few days at the Outrigger Ka’anapali Beach Resort, three or four rounds of golf, some sunshine, some temperatures in the 70s, some beach time, some good food, and some coconut/mocha beer, of course, could be just what the doctor ordered.

The 432-room hotel originally opened in 1964 and has benefitted from major renovations over the last few years. Now often called “Maui’s Most Hawaiian Resort”, it offers all the beach activities and cultural experiences. One of which is the Lei kukui ceremony, where return guests can bring their lei kukui and receive a white kukui nut. If it’s relaxation you’re after rather than activity, just rent a Casabella cabana on the beach, leave your phone, laptop, or tablet in your room safe and drift off to the sound of the nalu (ocean waves).

And when you’re not napping, you’ll need to eat, of course, which you can do at Hele On (breakfast), Pau Hana Pool Shack should you go to the trouble of moving from beachside to poolside and, in the evening, the Maui Brewing Company (MBC), whose fantastic restaurant overlooks the beach and where you can eat on a gorgeous patio. The Maui Brewing Company is based in Kihei, 25 miles south on the Honoapi‘ilani Highway (Hwy 30), and has four locations on the Hawaiian Islands — two on Oahu, two on Maui. 

At the Ka’anapali location, newest of the four (2023), you can get breakfast on weekends and lunch/dinner any day. Wash down a great burger, fish tacos, fish n’ chips, short ribs, macadamia nut-encrusted Mahi Mahi, or Kabayaki Butterfish with any of MBC’s award-winning beers. They have lagers, IPAs, a pineapple wheat bear, or the intriguingly named Coconut Hiwa Porter, which is described as “a robust dark ale with hand-toasted coconut & hints of mocha.” Charred, bitter beer with coconut and mocha sounds like the Devil’s-own concoction, frankly, and you wonder how on earth people come up with such a mixture … until you try it and begin to wonder why anyone drinks anything other than dark beer with coconut and mocha.

Outstanding weather, a chance to decompress on the beach, Kukui nuts, cabanas, kabayaki butterfish, and discovering the delights of beer/coconut/mocha drinks at an oceanside restaurant are all well and good, but the reason you’re here, the real reason, is to play some golf.

As we alluded to above, the Royal Course is the perfect layout for someone who’s off the plane from SeaTac and who knows the game and appreciates a well-conditioned, historic layout but who’s on vacation and isn’t in the mood for something too taxing or strenuous. Really, it provides the perfect combination of challenge and respite. At 6,700 yards from the tips, you won’t need to bust a gut muscling the ball of the tee, and you probably won’t be needing a fairway-wood or hybrid for your second shot at the par-4s (well, maybe at the 6th or 10th). You can start with a birdie at the relatively short par-5 opening hole (no need to go anywhere near the water if you’re looking for a stress-free start, especially is the pin is back-left.) Do be careful, though, on the last two holes where the water probably will come into play, in particular at the 18th which Palmer regarded as one of the best closing holes he ever played. 

You might be better off playing your opening round on the adjacent Kai Course, though. Originally designed by Jack Snyder in the mid-‘70s, it was remodeled by Robin Nelson in 2006 and, at just under 6,400 yards, is a slightly softer touch that its neighbor, leaning more towards respite than challenge. It’s just as well conditioned as the Royal, though, and the views of the West Maui mountains are splendid, so it might be the ideal place to start.

A few days at the Outrigger Ka’anapali Beach Resort, three or four rounds of golf, some sunshine, some temperatures in the 70s, some beach time, some good food, and some coconut/mocha beer, of course, could be just what the doctor ordered. But who needs an order from a doctor to be tempted into a Ka’anapali trip? 

Learn more at kaanapaligolfcourses.com.

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